A Charlotte, North Carolina (N.C.) father was killed and his son was injured when a car struck them along Billy Graham Parkway Monday morning. The pedestrian accident happened at about 6:30 a.m. near Interstate 85. Clarence Paige and his 9-year-old son were crossing the road when Paige was hit, according to police.
Investigators say the 9-year-old boy suffered a broken wrist. They are not sure if the car grazed the boy, or if Paige pushed his son out of the way. Both were taken to Carolinas Medical Center, where Paige died. The driver stopped at the scene and was being questioned by police. Investigators have not filed any charges against the driver.
Efforts are under way by pedestrian advocacy groups to restore pedestrian access to new developments, especially to counteract newer developments, 20% to 30% of which in the United States do not include sidewalks. Some activists advocate large auto-free zones where pedestrians only or pedestrians and some non-motorized vehicles are allowed. Many urbanists have extolled the virtues of pedestrian streets in urban areas. In the U.S. the proportion of households without a car is 8%, but a notable exception is New York City, the only locality in the United States where more than half of all households do not own a car (the figure is even higher in Manhattan, over 75%.